Current Sermon Series
"Hope Has A Name"
As the world continues to emerge from the strangeness of the past eighteen months, we’re awakening to a new reality: a pervasive hopelessness that has taken root. With cynicism and negativity running amok, we will use these weeks of Advent to refocus on the fact that Hope has a name: Jesus Christ. True, during Advent, it is easy to go into survival mode – to get wrapped up in attending the parties, finding/buying/giving the perfect gifts, decorating the cookies, and doing everything we’re “supposed” to do, doing all that’s expected…but if this is all we do, we will miss the point of Christmas: we will miss the critical “part” of the season: the truth that a Savior has been born unto us…a truth (that God loved/loves us so much that He became one of us) that we have to return to year after year and day after day...or it will pass us by.
During this season, we explore the Bible’s promises of hope – both as a present and practical reality and as a future certainty. More than naïve wishing, the hope we find in Jesus Christ – God with us – changes lives as it softens hearts, transforms minds, and changes perspectives.
"Stuffed"
Thanksgiving. Traditions. Family. For all the nostalgia and warmth that these words evoke, we know that for some (maybe for many) they also bring anxiety and stress. There are things to get done. Conversations to be had…and conversations to be avoided. Amongst all the powerful memories and wonder-filled opportunities, there is also the temptation to “stuff” these days with lesser things. Throughout this series, we will explore several of the most common “stuffings” to arrive at what the Bible commends as the beautiful, contented, gratitude-filled life that is life. Refusing to merely shift into “survivor mode,” we will enter this season of holy days with hope, joy, and the expectation of God’s blessing and presence.
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"10/90" One of the most common conflict points in the life (and in the personal/business relationships) of almost every believer, how we spend our money says more about us than we like to admit. During this two-week series, we will explore the practical guidance and inspiring, Godly counsel the Bible provides about Christian finances. |
"Soul Survivor" Resilience. One of the most underrated gifts of the Christian faith, the endurance – not just to survive but to thrive during difficult times – of Jesus-followers is one of the key aspects of the life of disciples. During this three-week series, we will explore the dynamics of joy, wisdom, and faith…and their application to our everyday lives. Gleaning the truth of James, Chapter 1, we will reflect upon the lessons/experiences of the past few months and apply the Bible’s guidance towards living a victorious, soul-full, and joyous life even in the midst of uncertainty and hardship. |
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"Legion" Continuing a years-long tradition, this September, we will engage in a deep study of the healing of the Gerasene demoniac. During this three-week series, we will explore the historical and contemporary settings/applications of this passage – unpacking its wisdom and applying its truth. Having all been faced with the spiritual fight of faith and having come face-to-face with the darkness in ourselves and others, our prayer is that we will offer/find encouragement and healing in this powerful story – freeing us and empowering us to live lives worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. |
"15One" As we step forward into our 151st (15One) year of ministry, we will be opening our next chapter of ministry with a 5-week series looking at several Chapter 15, verse 1 passages. Turning our attention from the lessons we’ve learned from our storied past, we’re going to be examining the faith, courage, and promises that will guide us into the potential of our future – gleaning biblical guidance and faithfulness to discover our “What’s Next”. Living out the beloved WC Truth that “the best is yet to be,” we firmly believe that our best days are still ahead of us, that our most powerful ministries have yet to be imagined. Though we had great plans for our 150th celebration, we are eager to move into whatever it is that God has planned for us in our 151st year of outreach and ministry. Through it all, our focus will be on learning and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. |
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"Homestead" On the heels of our road trip (following our church founders’ journey from Rising Fawn, GA), during July, we’re going to be presenting a series called “Homestead.” Based in large part upon a quote from John Wesley (below), we’ll explore what it looks like for us (as a church and as individuals) to be a homestead for the Lord. Each week, we will dive deeply into one of the critical elements of our faith and theology – unpacking and applying each tenet to the modern-day challenges of life and faith. As such, we are adding an additional element: though the Wesley quote only includes three “doctrines,” we will be adding another Wesleyan distinctive as a natural bridge to the “living out” of this line of thought: the need for small group accountability. |
"The Journey Home" Completing a journey that once took four months in just two days, throughout the month of June, we will trace the journey that the early settlers to our area took from Rising Fawn, GA, to found our church 150 years ago. During this series, we will explore the metaphors of “journey” and “home” as they relate to the development and living out of our lives of faith. We will talk about the dangers, problems, and promises that they faced then and that we face now…and how God leads/empowers us to face each with courage, faith, and integrity. |
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"3 (More) Words To Live By" As the school and program years wind down, we want to revisit the theme of a WC sermon series from 2015. Taking the opportunities afforded by Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Senior Recognition Sunday, and the other special weekends of the month, we will take the month of May to address our growing need for simplicity. In a world that is prone to over-complicating things (including faith), we want to present messages that invite our congregation to dwell on the simple (but not easy) way of faith: the simple messages, the simple lessons, the simple decisions that affect real and deep change. As such, each week we will offer “Three Words” to stoke our congregants’ imaginations and to stir their souls towards a closer walk with the Lord. |
"UnAshamed" Following Easter’s glorious news of resurrection, we will spend the next four weeks (including the first weekend of May) exploring one of the most prevalent spiritual strongholds of our time: that of shame. We will be examining the role that shame has in deterring our growth in discipleship and address the cross’ power to demolish its strong hold on our lives – physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational. Throughout this series, our aim will be to provide practical, sensible counsel to those struggling with guilt, shame, and forgiveness issues. |
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"Holy Week 2021" |
"Perfectly Wounded" As we enter this season, we remember that Lent is the forty-day season of preparation, awareness, self-reflection, and self-evaluation that leads us into Easter. These days are marked with a more somber tone – a time tinged with the painful acknowledgement of our own sinfulness and mortality. It is a time when Christians confront and confess our neediness and wantonness – and prepare ourselves to receive the glorious news of Jesus’ resurrection. As always, our purpose is simple: to elicit a response. It is for us to be inspired, to be challenged, and to be changed. Our purpose, hope, and prayer is that all our hearts will be “strangely warmed” as we reflect upon the Bible’s truth and the Savior’s call. |
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"The Other Half of Church" In these weeks before the holy season of Lent, we will be exploring what it means for us to pursue a holistic faith – a path of discipleship that involves, both, the head and the heart, thinking and feeling. Historically, the Christian Church has offered myriad opportunities for “left-brain” faith (reasoning, logical, information), but we’ve lagged in our understanding of the need for “right-brain” experience – hesed, community, connection. As such, we’ve been expecting fruit to grow from ever-depleting soil. During this series, we will attempt to recast and reframe what “whole-headed”/ ”whole-hearted” (v. “half-brained) Christianity looks like – inviting our congregation to the next step (or the first step) towards a deepening life of faith…becoming more committed followers of the way of Jesus Christ. |
"Hindsight is 2020" After enduring a year like none other before, we’re all beginning 2021 with a passionate desire, with a driving hope that things will be different, that we can be different…but are we willing to do more than just hope and wish? The fulfilled life that we’re all looking for is the product of much more than just changing out the calendars on our walls and looking forward to the return of some semblance of normalcy. It’s about creating a new normal – it’s about letting the Spirit lead us to a deeper faithfulness and a more active faith. During these weeks, we will allow 2020 to hold an uncomfortable mirror to our faces: confronting us with some of the painful but necessary lessons that we should have learned…but may need to be reminded of. Looking through a theological lens, we will reflect up the journey of 2020 and let it inform the way we follow Jesus in 2021. |
